Garden Variety.

The recipe:

First you must put on "August and Everything After" by Counting Crows, to me the quintessential American collection of the nineties (not that there was much competition).

Collect from the garden:

Six Hungarian hot banana peppers (which are really chilies).

A few handfuls of basil.

One medium, non-waxed, organic zucchini.

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes.

The kale you swore was never going to survive.

Add in: great northern beans; ricotta, pecorino, reggiano, provolone and mozzarella cheese; some hot Italian sausages from the little market in Bloomfield and a few eggs, onion and garlic and some nutmeg and seasonings.

This is what you make:

Roasted banana peppers stuffed with sausage.

Greens and beans and whole garlic slow cooked in enough olive oil to subsidize Hanukkah.

Rolled, grilled zucchini with ricotta filling in a raw tomato sauce.

If you have a grill, this can all be done outside. If not, that's what air conditioning is for.

You will have too many dishes to do afterwards, no matter how on top of the situation you think you are, but the house will smell like Dante's kitchen when you're done.

To drink: a 2001 Primitivo. Or if you prefer, a nice Bonny Doon Zinfandel (same progenitor).

Now go sit on your porch and listen to the cicadas doing their cha-cha.

Comments

[Jay]

Sounds delicious, and good choice of music.